Not Just Another Rock
by QuiteMike
Summary: Earth has nothing left. Earth is no longer green. Earth has no life. Earth has no magic. This is a story of exodus, as the last two magical beings fight to escape earth before magic is completely gone. Salvation has a new name, and that name is Pandora. Only muggles shall remain. Now Full story!
1. Exodus

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Harry Potter or Avatar. Just bees.

Year 2148

The world was dead. Harry thought with a heavy heart, as he took one final look of his home, or what was home. The city towered in all directions with massive steal skyscrapers blocking out most of the sun. Small unhealthy looking trees lined the streets in a vain attempt to brighten up the city. Today was the last time he would see earth, harry thought tiredly, after today there was no turning back. With a soft sigh Harry turned away, suddenly feeling as old as he should be, and entered the RDA complex to get prepped for the shuttle to Pandora. This wasn't just a mission, but an exodus as the last magic being on earth left.

The RDA Building was a cold looking monstrosity, its size dominated the other building around it. Its polished white walls and white tinted windows, reminded Harry of an elephants ivory tusk reaching up into the heavens. Thankfully 8 blocks on all sides of the building was shutdown, leaving only Rda employees with access to today. Only his fellow coworkers milled about him as they headed to front doors. Most days they entered through the staff entrances. Today, to give people a feeling of grandeur before they boarded the five year space flight to Pandora, everyone entered through main lobby.

It was the most impressive and easiest way to keep track of the workers. Only a couple doors left the front lobby after the lifts were shut down. The lobby was circular like the main building, and hollow down the center allowing one to look straight up in the middle past hundreds of floors that circled around the empty space. Several glass elevators line the center circle giving a spectacular view down as it rocketed you up the center. Each of the six lifts had two armed guards with mean looking rifles, preventing anyone from straying from where they were suppose to go. Small vegetation and a waterfall seemed out of place in the white sterile monstrosity. The whole lobby framed a single modern style glass case in the center of the room.

Stepping out of the crowd to the front desks Harry walked over to the case. The case held a large iron looking sphere, with an assortment of colored wires connecting it to a control panel. A larger than life bronze statue of grizzly looking scientist proudly stood gesturing to the iron ball. Walking over to the gold plaque in from of the display, Harry looked disgustedly at the man.

"You single handedly destroyed magic, and you didn't even know it." Harry whispered softly, looking down to the plaque.

Reed Aldabooks - Inventor of the first stable nuclear fusion reactor utilizing Unobtainium in 2035. A pioneer of Unobtainium technology, and winner of several Nobel prizes. Dr. Reed next to his first working prototype, the reactor that single handedly changed the world for the better.

A smaller case next to the plaque held a small metallic rock, with a small write up beside it. Unobtainium: a material able to conduct staggering amounts of electricity without resistance and energy loss. The first room temperature superconductor that does not lose energy to heat. Discovered on earth 2034.

Bitterly Harry joined the crowd headed to the check in for the flight. Each person carried a small green duffle bag same as Harry himself did over one shoulder. Harry stood out in stark contrast to the others, his black shoulder length hair, and his apparent lack of excitement compared to his coworkers.

The lines made quick progress, people disappearing through the sliding doors behind the counter. Finally it was Harry's turn, gathering his wits he readjusted his bag and stepped up to the counter.

"Name? Division?" A young redheaded girl with bright blue eyes asked politely, looking Harry up and down appreciatively.

"Barney Stinson, biological research." Harry answered politely, he doubted anyone would notice a fake name stolen from a Tv show 140 years ago. Looking at the tag on her chest Harry noted that she was well equipped, and her name was Tammy.

" ah yes mister Stinson," she replied excitedly, typing on her computer. "Please proceed to security bay 7 behind me and have your identification ready. Be safe. " she finished kindly her blue eyes showing no false sincerity.

"Thanks Tammy, you too." Harry said kindly flashing her a lopsided grin, continuing through the doors behind her.

The hallway was long and uniformly white like the lobby, a sign depicting bays 1 to 50 pointed down the hallway. Sighing once more, Harry started down to a door not far off labeled 7.

The room was crowded Harry realized once he opened the door to the small room. A security guard with a small gun on his hip, and a burly looking man who was thankfully unarmed were waiting for him. The room simply had a long table along one wall, a weird looking computer sat on one corner, and a second door with a key pad. Harry recognized the computer, it was a retina DNA scanner combo, the RDA was quite fond of them.

The burly one was the first to talk. "Alright straight to it, come in close the door, papers to me, and pass your bag to this grumpy looking guy behind me."

Complying without a response Harry did as told, earning an approving nod from the guard.

Looking through the papers the burly one wasted no time. " Alright you know the drill, press your face to RDSC," he said pointing to the head guard on the machine."and when your done prick your finger in the tester tray and well get you through to medical quickly Mr. Stinson."

Pressing his face to the scanner, Harry tried not to blink as the green light scanned his eye. Pricking his finger in the tray the machine flashed blue and began to analyzing his blood. Before long a ding the screen, displayed his photo with a green confirmed floating in the corner.

"Very good" said the guard with the gun relaxing visibly, "arms out, a quick pat down and I'll check your bag."

After an uncomfortable thirty-seconds for both of them, the guard moved back to the table satisfied. "Clean"

Pressing a button on the corner of the table it whirled to life. LCD light flashed across the table lighting up the built in interface. "Bag scan, and weight." The security guard spoke clearly to it.

"Clean of contaminants and contraband. Clothes and a small toy looking sized empty truck. Weight 9kg" a disembodied voice monotones back.

Raising an eyebrow surprised, the guard pulled out the small trunk turning it over in his hands confused. "Your allowed 25kg and some personal things, are you sure that's all you want to take? Why the trunk?"

"Sentimental" Harry answered "it's the only thing I have left from my father besides my family ring, everything else is unimportant. I don't need much."

Smiling kindly the guard replied" I understand, you best keep it on you then, its small enough and bags have a habit of...missing the flight." Handing Harry the trunk he attached a tag to the bags strap handle, and gave it back to Harry. "Watch out for the Na'vi Mr. Stinson. Through this door, drop off the bag at the bag ramp, and head to medical."

"I will, thanks guys." Harry responded solemnly, meeting the intense grey stare of the security guard. The staff were right to be worried, less than half returned. The mine was particularly hard on miners, most never made it back to spend their fortunes, dieing from magical radiation poisoning, mine accidents, wildlife, or Na'vi arrows. It was hard on the security teams for the shuttles, a shuttle was sent out every 6 months. Each time many of the people they processed never can back. It must be hard Harry mussed, wondering if the person you pass through will ever come home again.

Typing in his personal code into the door, Harry hefted his bag and continued into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Clutching the tiny trunk in his hand, Harry pressed it to his lips before he slipped it into a zippered pocket on the front of his pants. Releasing a pent up breath Harry exhaled deeply, everything was going to plan, the trunk had gotten through.

It was a gamble, Harry had bet everything on being able to take the trunk with him to Pandora. It had everything dear to him, a couple wands which now were no better than twigs on the dead earth. His dad's invisibility cloak, photo albums, a whole drove of potion ingredients under stasis, his firebolt, books, and more books. It had all been put away almost 100 years ago into the trunk, in preparation.

Medical passed in a blur as he was poked, prodded, and examined in ways that seemed to violate every definition of personal space. They handed Harry a standard RDA tracksuit, that was very cosy, in which he transferred the trunk. An elevator ride later and Harry was in a shuttle on the roof of the tower that would ferry them to the long distance interplanetary shuttle waiting just outside the earths atmosphere. The shuttle had a big cargo area in the rear with a large rear door several cars wide that lowered. Their were two rows of seats, one on each wall of the craft with a large section of cargo in space cases strapped down the center. The shuttle was only a quarter full, it still would be an hour.

Leaning his head back against the wall of the shuttle, Harry reflected tiredly. This was it, he was leaving earth. All the work Harry had put into this day, all because of the discovery of a small rock that made this voyage necessary.

Unobtainium, the rock that made Nuclear fusion energy possible. Discovered in 2034, at the bottom of Pacific ocean, where scientists have confirmed a meteor struck before life started on earth. As the plates moved and shifted continents around, it buried the unobtainium deep below the surface. As resources became scarce on the dry land, mining operations began in the ocean, using the latest technology to put workers below miles of water.

A year later after the discovery of unobtainium, Reed Aldabooks made the final modification on the first stable fusion reactor, it utilized this new room temperature superconducting rock. Fusion had been impossible to harness before unobtainium because the electric energy given off was so intense that the reactor would over heat and melt down. The metals used in the electrical energy collection would lose energy rapidly in the form of heat, resulting in a total meltdown. This was until unobtainium, which was able to abosorb staggering amounts of electrical energy, without resistance or energy loss. What no one understood was that this wasn't just another metal material, to be formed. But in essence unobtainium was magic itself. It was only after the world had progressed, fusion technology becoming the forefront of all industry that all magical beings began to feel a decrease in their magic.

Panic spread through the wizarding world, as wizards searched for the first all encompassing magical disease, not understanding what was really going on. Harry had been one of the first recruited into finding a cure. Pureblood extremest scapegoated the muggleborns, claiming the disease came from there weak blood. The wizarding world was nearing a panic induced genocide when the first dragon died. Each week, more dragons died, and the species become extinct in less than a year. When the first mermaid washed up on shore it became clear to everyone that this problem was much larger than just wizards. After a couple months into searching Harry discovered the horrifying truth, that they were not sick but magic was dying.

Magic was not inherited, passed down through the generations, as purebloods claimed. How much magic you had being the size of your core, and what bloodlines you came from. Magic is an energy, a fuel, an invisible force. Earth had not always had magic, magic came to earth when the meteor hit. As the continents moved over millions of years, the unobtainium was deposited deep underground. The magical radiation would vent through fissures in earths crust, creating hotspots.

These locations were unknowingly locations wizards settled and built their world, feeling most alive and powerful near the source of their power. Magic wasn't something a person made, it was something borrowed, and harnessed.

This energy, this magical radiation caused major mutations in organisms around the world. A certain mutated gene, nicknamed the core gene is what makes magic possible. There is nothing magical about wizards, their body does not produce the magic, merely harnesses it, and stores it. How effective their gene was at collecting the magical radiation around them determined their strength.

A person became magical in most cases, when under perfect conditions during pregnancy, get exposed to long term magical radiation. Its why magic was thought to be passed down. A magical household has tons of harnessed radiation floating around. Exposing the fetus to far more radiation than one in a muggle society. Its not always a guarantee that a baby would be magical in a magical household, Squibs did happen.

The horrifying truth was that magic was a finite resource, and muggles were refining it. Unobtainium in its natural state releases large quantities of magical radiation, once refined it no longer releases magical radiation, but becomes the perfect superconductor with a unique magnetic field. As muggles processed more and more of the Unobtainium reserves on earth, magical energy on earth continued to decrease. Wizards who prided themselves on being superior to muggles were quickly becoming muggles themselves. As muggles burned through the small unobtainium deposit on earth, more and more squibs were born, and those who could still use it barely could.

Twenty years after the decline started, most magical species were threatening to go extinct, and if things continued would be extinct in less than another Twenty years. It was that year in 2055, that Harry received his another prophecy. Harry had been recruiting for Hogwarts, a little muggle born witch, which was increasingly rare, only one or two a decade.

Her Prophecy was simple, hardly rhyming at all. Her erie blue eyes stared blankly as she monotoned.

_'Your world is dying, the time to prepare is now, before the decade has past magic will be gone. Witch hunts begin anew when lies exposed. Deep underground and water, life will sustain. Pack everything you'll need, ten extra decades of life would be wise. Wait and wait you shall, the way shall be shown, the way to your new home among the stars. Beware, drawings last, sounds fade.'_

The first line was simple, magic was going to disappear faster than expected, he needed to prepare now. The last two lines was fairly easy too. At that time charms were already beginning to fail to hold, and as the Egyptians proved, runes can stand the test of time. While most Egyptian runes have an atmospheric magic charge rune, there still is a built in magical store rune in all Egyptian runes. It is possible that Egyptians understood magic better, and understood that magic had a shelf life. This store rune was filled by the caster at the time and would remain after the ambiance magic was gone, it gave the rune its core to fuel the rune. Any magical preparations best be done with a runes, as they are charged with magic when they are made, and use that energy to sustain themselves. Whereas charms constantly draw off the environments magic, which a decade later was all but kaput. The new home, was obviously another world that was magical.

This began three years of almost completely depleting his, and Fawkes core as they threw everything they had into each rune unsure just how long the rune had to survive. First thing was a series of magical trunks. One trunk holding a hundred or so other shrunken trunks. Undetectable expansion runes and shrinking rune clusters on the trunks were heavily layered. Most importantly packed was the Philosophers stone in its own trunk. Using all of his money, selling heirlooms, and real-estate. Harry bought as many potion ingredients he could get to put under stasis. Magical plants, and animal parts becoming increasingly scarce as species continued to go extinct. Having lived with magical radiation for so long, magical species could simply not survive without it. A large number of books were also packed, along with the course books and notes of professionals like healers and wand crafters had studied when they trained. Creating a sort of self teach method, should he need to learn any of those professions, or should a new generation need to learn.

Then began one of the largest series of grand robberies in wizarding history. Using Fawkes to flame in and out of security, they stole any item that was not for sale, completed wands, wand crafting materials, books from private collections, a small store of weapons and full stores of completed magical potions. Everything that would be needed to start a base of operations was also stolen or bought where it could be. A bed, shrunk building supplies, muggle weapons, and most importantly hundreds of the best ward stone anchors in existence. The stones were worth more fortunes than Harry could possibly have afforded and were stored in many different family vaults, and stores around the world, they had to be stolen. Harry did not like stealing, but it had been necessary. Most of these items would be useless in a couple years anyways. It would also be a shame to for all the knowledge accumulated over the years to be lost.

The line 'Witch hunts begin anew when lies exposed.' was straight forward. Wizards have been lying to muggles for centuries. When hundreds of never seen before pyramids suddenly appeared in Egypt and other wizard areas, hidden fidelius and protection charms starting to give out, shit hit the fan. The line was clear to Harry, he had needed to leave the wizarding world before this happened with acceptable muggle paper work. It wasn't a good time for wizards in London when Diagon Alley suddenly appeared. Nor was is good when expansion charms suddenly gave out, ramming buildings together and squishing some people to death as rooms and buildings struggled to fit in the smaller space. Luckily Harry was warned and avoided being caught in the second purge of magical beings, this time without flame tickling charms. Many were burnt like the times of old. Large parts of Hogwarts simply collapsed, and that which remained standing became a muggle trophy and tourist attraction, showing where muggles where witches used to train before they mysteriously died out.

The decades of life was simple. Turned out Albus had not destroyed the philosopher stone, but merely hidden it. The real stone had never even been at Hogwarts, it was well hidden by the only person Nicholas truly would trust with it, Fawkes. The ruse worked and Harry hadn't know the truth until Fawkes had bonded with him, 12 years after Harry had defeated Voldemort. The prophecy called for 10 decades of extra life, 2 doses of elixir. Obviously Harry needed to appear younger or stay alive, and once magic was gone, he could not make more.

The only line that gave Harry problems was '_Deep underground and water life will sustain.'_ Nothing Harry could think of had made sense. He had finished packing everything he would need two years before the prophesied five years left of magic ran out. In a spur of forward thinking Harry constructed rune energy stores or batteries. For the last two years of magic, Fawkes and Harry poured every bit of spare magic they had into the batteries. In this time Harry made the last batch of elixir, four doses just to be safe. He took one to make himself twenty again, and put the others in a muggle bank security box with the batteries. Patching all the holes in his paper work for his muggle back round. With one last heist, he and Fawkes stole most of Malfoy's gold gallons and melted it down into gold bars. Harry opened a gold mine up north in Canada and started selling melted gallons for their gold. By the time it was 2070 Harry had built up a fortune legitimately in the muggle world.

It was year 2060, when magic officially died on the surface of earth. There was barely enough magic on the surface for Harry to even get a lumos to work feebly, and his magic gene was among the best in the world. It was that year Harry put his wand in the trunk and shrunk it with the rune for the last time. For most common witches and wizards there was so little magical radiation in the air that their gene went dormant. That year, more than 30 percent of witches and wizards died, as there bodies died of shock from the complete loss magical radiation. Another 40 percent were lost in witch hunts, burned alive like the hunts of old. It was that year Harry had lost both Ron, and Hermione, their bodies unable cope without magic. Old age caught up with them fast, magic no longer keeping them alive past their years. Ron and Hermione had both said no to Elixir, they never did say why they wouldn't take any, no matter how much Harry insisted they did.

The remaining witches and wizards slowly lost their magic one by one, becoming the muggles they so passionately hated their entire lives. Magical plants and animals continued to decline. Fawkes no longer flamed anywhere, trying to conserve as much energy as possible.

It was 2070, wizarding culture having completely disappeared, and magical creatures had almost all gone that Harry finally figure out the last unsolved line of the prophecy._'Deep underground and water life will sustain.'_

Harry had only figured it out just in time to save Fawkes. Fawkes had just taken a turn for the worse, he was hardly eating or moving. Unlike Harry who had gone completely muggle his gene going dormant in 2067, Fawkes was a creature of magic, and couldn't survive without it. Harry was already thinking about starting to use the rune batteries to transfer magic to Fawkes, hoping to buy him time when the RDA made the announcement that help solve the riddle.

'The RDA only has 20 years left of Unobtainium deposits on earth, and supply for fusion reactors would only last another 60 years. They were now preparing to search space for another planet, moon, or asteroid that has unobtainium.'

The mines. Packing up his gold mining operation, Harry rushed to the RDA, and sighed up as a unobtainium miner. Magical radiation, that was the key, there wasn't enough unobtainium anymore to radiate to the surface but working close to rock itself way below the surface was more than enough to sustain Fawkes.

The mines were a dangerous place for a muggle, Harry reflected. While the Radiation is safe for muggles without the gene when it filters up to the earth's surface, it was not safe to handle directly. Unobtainium is potent in its raw form, miners rarely lived long after handling it, maybe for half a year or more. They made a lot of money, but few lived to spend it, no matter how much protective gear they wore.

Harry quickly became know as the freak down in the mine, and rose quickly through the ranks of the crew deep below ground. While most could barely survive 6 months in close proximity before showing cancerous symptoms, Harry had been in the mine five years already, and was still in perfect health. For Harry and Fawkes, the mines were exhilarating. The magical radiation in the mine was thick, the air oozed magical energy in an intensity Harry had only ever felt a couple times during major duels in his life. It also was reassuring to Harry that a wizard could come out of dormancy in new radiation.

The magical overload, brought Harry out of his dormancy, and brought Fawkes back to health within the first month they were there. A side effect of all the raw energy was that Harry and Fawkes could not sleep unless they burned off much of their energy, and would still rise early in the morning as their stores recharged quickly being in such close proximity. Invigorated Harry began charging more runic batteries with Fawkes again, knowing all to well that the energy would not last long.

By 2075, Harry and Fawkes were the last two magical beings on the planet. By 2087, the magical energy in the mine started to fail, as the mines reached critical level and had less than five years left of Unobtainium. The mine had made a transition from harvesting large chunks of it to sifting through the dirt for the for small pieces and particles. The energy was hardly enough to keep Harry's gene active, and most of the energy it did manage to collect Harry gave to Fawkes. It was in this time Fawkes had a burning day which he barely survived. Harry being forced to use a rune battery minutes before Fawkes burst into flames, afraid he wouldn't have enough energy to be reborn.

By 2093, the rune batteries were proving to be a life savor as Harry gave Fawkes a little bit of life sustaining energy each day. The mine had closed two years prior, and if Harry wasn't able to find a new source of energy soon, Fawkes would only be able to make it to 2115 off the batteries if he was lucky.

Thankfully, shortly after new years in 2100 the RDA proudly announced that they had developed a high powered scope that enabled them to see Unobtainium radiation in space light years away. Unlike the delay telescopes get when looking at objects light years away, the new scope nicknamed the 'flash scope' made it possible to look at stars and planets in real time up to ten light years away. More valuably flash scope also could measure from earth the unobtainium radiation levels of the planet. The pervious method being finding a planet and then shooting a probe at it, and waiting ten years for the results. Both extremely expensive, time consuming, and was yet to yield a planet or moon with Unobtainium radiation. With flash scope the RDA was predicting a positive within a month as the scope became live within the next couple days.

It was in 2100 that Pandora was finally discovered. Photos of the new moon blared over the news. Not only did the moon have unobtainium, but also showed signs of life. The RDA rose to super stardom over night as they saved earth from the economic collapse that was imminent once the Unobtainium supplies ran out. Probes were sent to confirm the deposit and learn more about the moon in the Alpha Centauri star system. Funding from the government poured in to fund the rapid construction of an interplanetary space crafts capable of bringing back Unobtainium.

The only problem was that Harry was too old to go. The government mandated that the age limit to go to Pandora was 40 for miners. For biologist and medical professionals the age limit was 60 due to the education involved. The moon was more than five light years away, it made sense but it was frustrating. Harry could make himself 20 again but RDA was demanding at least five years experience in mining other than Unobtainium for the first trip. The experience had to be from elsewhere as no one survived longer than six months in an Unobtainium mine. If Harry went to school for a Md Fawkes would be long dead by the time he finished. If Harry made himself 20 again he would have to change his name, and would loose all credentials in the process. By the time Harry could qualify again to go it would be too late for Fawkes.

This really left Harry with only one option. In the spring of 2100 Harry went and pulled all the rune batteries out of the vault and took Fawkes high up into the rocky mountains. Fawkes was going to have to attempt to flame to Pandora with nothing but a picture of the trees that was used on the news as reference. Fawkes would have to go alone, as the energy required to flame that distance was to great for him to take anything but himself. Harry would have to get there some other way with their supplies. Activating the Batteries Harry went for broke, pouring all of their stored energy into Fawkes. Fawkes did not hesitate as the last battery became empty, disappearing in a ball of flame immediately. Harry stayed on the mountain for a whole month until a single red tail feather appeared in his camp in a burst of flame. Fawkes had made it. It was with a heavy heart Harry had left the mountains, he was the last magical being on earth.

For 30 years Harry existed on earth, with no hope or plan to get to Pandora. High unemployment rates on earth, and the general excitement of exploring a new world had choked all possible avenues to Pandora. The mining route was basically closed as every kid coming out of high school flooded the mining jobs on earth required to get the necessary experience to go to Pandora. The biological, and medical teams were filled, and like almost everything there was a giant waiting list. It wasn't until 2131, that luck happened upon Harry.

Harry had been sitting at a pub in paris having a drink, when a young RDA employee happened to sit next to him. After several drinks, and realizing Harry was an elderly man past the age to go to Pandora she divulged that a new department in biology was going to be coming within the next ten years. She quickly explained that the RDA was having trouble getting the indigenous to trust them, and was looking for solutions. The rumor was that the RDA was going to adapt the already successful avatar program to give a scientist a Navi body. Walk like them, talk like them, and maybe they'll trust the RDA.

The avatar program was first developed for politicians to give public speeches and make appearances. A clone was basically programed allowing a leader to be his own double. This made assassination practically impossible as leaders sat safely in heavily fortified bunkers, far away from the danger. According to Harry's RDA friend, they were still at least 15 years away if approval went through, as they tried to get around the problems of mixing genetics of two different species and having them close enough to still be able to connect.

Feeling that this was his chance, Harry used the last of elixir to become twenty again, and a great deal of his fortune to buy himself a new name and records, and entry into Harvard school of medicine. For 13 years Harry studied, and in 2144 he finished with top marks. Harry finished with an Md, specialized in Neurology, with a minor Environmental Biology.

In 2145, the first success in making an Navi Avatar was announced by the RDA research and development division. It was followed by the announcement that they were now accepting applications for the third series of avatars to be sent to Pandora on the second ship of year 2148. The RDA had expanded the fleet to 20 ships in allowing them to send a ship of supplies to Pandora, and unobtainium back every six months continuously.

An MD of a relevant field was mandatory and those approved from the short list of qualified professionals, then were tested for a certain sequence of genetics necessary to link to an avatar with Na'vi genetics. What the RDA Biological division didn't know, is this gene that they found in Na'vi biology that the scientific individual needed in their genetic code to successfully combine to produced a living Na'vi, was the core gene that Harry himself had discovered many years ago. The RDA was essentially looking for dormant wizards and witches who had remarkably inherited the core gene for an ancestor that had lived on earth when there was radiation. Something Harry had thought was impossible.

The spring of 2145 Barney Stinson applied for the avatar program. After his MD was approved, Harry's genetics were tested for congruency. Unsurprisingly, Harry was a match and was readily accepted into development. Harry became a something of a legend within the biological division, his colleagues were stunned by just how perfect his genetics were for being paired with the Na'vi's. It became sort of a joke within the department of how Harry was the long lost child of Pandora returning home. Including Harry, there were to be four new Avatar drivers headed to Pandora in 2148. The next class of drivers were selected to train with Harry as well. Their departure to Pandora was scheduled for two years after Harry's own and would have six new Avatars.

The following three years were a blitz of information, as the RDA rushed to get the 1948s up to speed for their departure. The Na'vi language was studied extensively, along with biotic life of Pandora by Dr. Grace Augustine. Na'vi culture basics were also included, focusing on the main goddess Eywa, and social traditions due to the limited amount of time they had to prepare compared to the 2150s.

Harry had barely contained his laughter when he reached the chapter about the red flaming bird that hung around one of the Na'vi settlements and was looked after by the people. Its features were similar to that of a phoenix of human mythology. The photo of Fawkes being fed a piece of meat that hung in his office still made Harry smile. Fawkes had gone to Pandora more than a decade before anyone from earth had made it there. In that time Fawkes had managed to entrench himself in Na'vi culture. The Omaticaya clan told doctor Grace when she asked about the brilliant red and gold bird, of his mysterious appearance long ago in a ball of flame during a time of conflict between two clans. Fawkes appearance and calming song allowed the two tribe leaders to clear the anger from their vision and agree to peace. The Omaticaya people have looked after Fawkes ever since, his presence being a sign of hope and peace for their people.

If Harry was being honest, it was Fawkes who kept him going. Without him, Harry would have given up long ago. Fawkes first saved him twelve years after the war, when his wife and unborn child died during a complication during labor. It was in the weeks of despair that followed, when Fawkes had found him drunk off his gourde in his house. It was the first time Harry had seen him since Dumbledores death. The next morning, hungover but now sober, Fawkes bonded to Harry. The metal berating Harry had received had surprised his fuzzy brain as Fawkes demonstrated his ability to communicate that Harry had always suspected. With Fawkes help, Harry had found new purpose and began teaching at Hogwarts while he recovered from his loss.

Then in 2055 things magic started to decline, and magical species began to die. Harry threw himself into research, hoping to find a way to save magic but selfishly it was to save Fawkes. Fawkes was his best friend, and if the decline was anything to go by magical beings could not live without it. After the prophecy, the hope of finding somewhere new was for Fawkes. Harry would have been fine with accepting his end, becoming muggle and passing on with his two best friends. But, Fawkes had saved Harry several times, it was his turn to save him. After Fawkes had been saved and flamed away, it was the first time they had been apart for almost a hundred years. It was the thought of seeing his best friend again, alive and healthy on a moon full of life, that had gotten Harry onto this shuttle. All the hard work was finally paying off.

Harry eyes snapped open as he was jarred by a person sitting next to him. "Barney! How on earth can you be sleeping?" A pretty blond asked him aghast as she strapped herself into the crude shuttle seat. "Were going to Pandora Barney! You know the one we've been training for since Harvard?"

Harry smiled as the familiar pretty violet eyes locked with his, " Just saying goodbye to earth. Did everything in security go alright?"

"Yes sir, I think I was one of the last for this shuttle. I can't believe were going for 15 years and all they let us pack is 25 kg of clothes and personal belongings." She said with a huff, playing with a strap on the seat harness.

"Why Evaline? Were only awake for 5 and besides, I only used 9 kg of mine." Harry said with a smile, watching her jaw drop and murderous look develop in her eyes.

"You had 16kg of free space..." Evaline drifted of dangerously.

Harry flashed a lopsided grin. "Yes, but can you imagine how weird it would have been if I had shown up with a bag full of women's lacy and silk unmentionables at security. That would have started rumors."

"I would have given you other stuff." Evaline said in a huff crossing her arms, as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips." maybe..."

Harry laughed." Sure you would have. The least you could have done was show up at the party in a different outfit."

"Barney we all have the same tracksuit."

"See what I mean, rude I wore it first." Harry said in a bitter mumble making her giggle. "Wheres Kevin and Julia?"

"Julia was on the first shuttle of the day, and Kevin is on the last naturally, he never gets stuff done on time. Why, you don't want be stuck in the same cryosleep zone as me?" She asked seductively a finger trailing down his arm.

Harry's face reddened brilliantly, cursing his ancient body as it betrayed him even after all this time. "It is a worry."

"Do you think they have double cryosleep chambers." Evaline ignored him leaning closer to his ear.

"We'll be asleep!" Harry said laughing.

Harry was saved from her answering as the bay door at the back of the shuttle began to close.

"Say goodbye to earth Barney." Evaline said quietly as the doors closed, the view to the outside shrinking quickly. A stern military personnel was walking towards them.

"Attention employees." The man said stopping in front of them. " We now begin your journey to Pandora!" He paused as the people applauded. " I will be you pilot Major Gills, and will fly you to the interplanetary Spacecraft. Please stay seated and strapped in until I tell you we are safely docked. At that time, I want you to remember we will be in zero gravity and will be exiting out the top of the craft though that hatch." Gills paused again pointing to the hatch in the roof.

"You will be met by a security team member who will lead you two at a time to a cryobunk where you will be strapped in. We ask that you wait patiently for the medical teams to reach you, and when you wake up, I will see you again to shuttle you down. I don't want to hear of any problems from my ship understood?"

"Yes Sir!" Harry chanted along with everyone, before joining the applause as the pilot left the cargo hold.

Evaline flashed him a smile as everyone calmed down as the engines began powering up. "This is it, I'm glad your here with me Barney."

"You too Evaline." Harry said enjoying her violet eyes, as they held each others gaze.

The ship lurched as gravity released its hold on the craft, the engines rapidly gaining power and propelling them off of earth. As the ship began to change angle and point upwards, Evaline slipped her hand into Harry's, her head back firmly in her seat and her eyes closed. Smiling Harry gave her hand a squeeze, enjoying the flight as the ship vibrated and shuddered as it thundered through the atmosphere.

Harry had met Evaline, almost 16 years ago in Harvard. A bright, smiling 18 year old freshmen from Canada. She was from the big cities and had grown up to the stories of Pandora. She longed to see the massive forests, and clean world Pandora offered. The two became quick friends, and in second year once Harry felt he could trust her, he shared the secret of the Avatar program making Evaline promise not to tell anyone. Together they tackled medical school, and eventually Avatar training together. Harry hoped her gene would wake and function, and he would have someone to teach the secrets of magic once they got there. Evaline has always had a boyfriend off and on throughout school, but once they started Avatar program she had stopped. Instead becoming increasingly flirtatious with Harry, who had had continually blocked her advances. It wasn't that Harry didn't find her attractive, or she wasn't good enough. There just was something inherently wrong with a 168 year old falling for someone who's only 34. The age difference was simply to much, although she had no idea of that, because Barney was only 36. Harry only hoped when she found out the truth about his identity that she would still be his friend, despite lying to her for 16 years.

Harry was lifted out of his thoughts as he experienced weightlessness for the first time. The ship becoming quiet and smooth as the shuttle left the earths atmosphere. Evaline giggled next to him as she slipped off a shoe laughing as it floated, letting go of his hand to catch it and twirl it. A deep thud from the top of the ship snapped her out of her fun, clutching the shoe to her chest like one would a teddy bear."What on earth was that!"

Harry openly laughed at her as the engines began to die down. " It was actually in space, and that was the shuttle docking I presume."

Evaline's face reddened as he continued to laugh."Shuddup."

A couple crew members came floating down from the front to the hatch in the ceiling. After a couple minutes of clicking latches they pushed it open. They then brought ropes from the hatch, and hooked them to the walls above the seats in different spots. One line was hooked above Harry's seat, the crew shook his head muttering as he saw Evaline with her shoe." There is always one." Finished he pushed over to the cargo that was strapped down and pulled himself to the floor. "Alright, in a nice orderly fashion you can begin unclipping from your seats. Please use the ropes to pull yourselves to the hatch."

With astounding speed, Evaline slipped on her shoe, undid her clips, and reached over holding onto Harry's shoulder, and undid his all before anyone had even gotten their first latch undid. "Quick, Barney the rope!"

Laughing Harry grabbed onto the rope as she held onto his shoulders, allowing Harry to pull them to the hatch.

"First!" Evaline shouted in his ear as she pushed off his shoulders through the hatch.

It was a small room, with several hand rails on the door with a ten or so security guards. A large window, was on one the side of the room, with the earth clearly visible in it. Pushing himself over, Harry went to the window marveling at the earth. "It used to be blue and green at one time." Harry said quietly to Evaline as she joined him at the window.

"The trees have been replaced with skyscrapers." Evaline agreed, taking it in. "Pandora will be green."

A couple others made it through the hatch, floating over to join them at the window. Grabbing her hand Harry pushed off the window heading to the security. "Come on, Adventure awaits."

The security led them out of the room over into a room that was lined with hundreds of cryobunks, each one held two people back to back in separate compartments.

Evaline smiled broadly at Harry as they strapped him into his side still holding onto his hand."See Barney, I told you we'd get to share one."

"Not really, you'll be safely on the other side." Harry said rolling his eyes as his last strap was secured in place.

"Together." she said firmly. Taking advantage of a mostly strapped down harry, she pulled in giving him a lingering kiss on the corner of the mouth, surprising him.

Before Harry could respond she had been pulled to the other side to get strapped in. The medical team then swooped down on him, giving him needles, and installing two IVs before telling him to hold tight it would kick in about two minutes. All done Harry, sat there floating, feeling a little apprehensive of being put under for 5 years.

"Barney?" Evaline's voice said quietly from the other side of the cryobunk.

"Yeah," Harry answered lamely.

"I guess this is it for five years." She said dramatically.

"Not really, it will only feel like minutes." Harry responded smartly, imagining her rolling her eyes on the other side.

"Smart ass. Do you think they will let it happen to Pandora too?" Evaline asked, concern thick in her voice.

"Do what?" Harry asked confused.

"Turn Pandora Grey."

Harry froze her words hitting him like a ton of bricks. The world they were going to was being harvested. Magic would eventually be extinguished there, and he and Fawkes would have to move again."I hope not. See you on the other side goof."

"Night Barney." Evaline said yawning loudly.

I won't let them kill pandora. Harry last thought determinedly before the cryo drugs kicked in and swept him into darkness.

In cryo five years is the blink of an eye.

AN: Any feed back is welcome. For now its just a oneshot, but if their is enough interest I have some ideas for a full story. Let me know. :)


	2. Moon Landing

Disclaimer: Yada yada yada I own nothing.

AN: First off, I would like to thank my new beta Atharos for doing a truly amazing job editing and improving the draft. A true life saver. We are still asking if anyone else would like to help beta, its always good to have more opinions. Secondly, I would like to thank everyone who took to the time to read the first chapter. A special thanks to those who liked, favorited, and reviewed Not Just Anther Rock. It made me feel all mushy, and inspired to take my time to plan this and not rush it for you. Updates should be quicker now, three is almost done! I will be anwsering all the questions in the reviews at the bottom. Cheers!

Chapter 2: Moon Landing

Harry's tail flicked back and forth as he followed the RDA truck through the thick underbrush. The truck had a large rotating turret on the top, housing a heavy machine gun. It had irritated him, that it had taken this long to finally catch the RDA in the act of snatching the indigenous. On silent feet Harry sprinted after the mat black truck, desperate not lose his only lead. Tracking charms were stuck to the truck, and even Fawkes followed the truck, invisible in the sky. This morning the RDA had done the unthinkable and kidnapped a child, and Harry feared that it was life and death.

Harry slowed as the truck approached Hell's Gate.

'Dang.' Harry thought remembering the power of the camps guns.

"Fawkes." Harry whispered, the phoenix appearing in front of him in a burst of flames. "Don't lose that truck, come back and get me when it stops."

Silently Fawkes flamed away again, leaving Harry alone in the faint blue luminescence of the Forrest. Taking out his wand, he tapped himself on the head making himself disappear. For several hours Harry sat invisible among the trees, watching the sun slowly rise as he waited for Fawkes.

When Harry reappeared with Fawkes, he was on a balcony that looked down into the storage room of the refinery. The pair watched silently as the marines wrestled with bound blue child, from the back of the truck. Her whimpering could be heard from under the sack they had over her head.

'Why bring them here Fawkes?' Harry thought silently, hands double checking his gear as he prepared to rescue the child.

Harry hesitated as the Marines walked across the store room to halt in front of the wall covered with a huge instrument panel. The wall started to lower into the ground as a soldier typed on a control pad. A long hallway big enough for a truck sloped downwards behind panel quickly came into view. Harry's jaw dropped as twenty or more heavily armed soldiers poured out of the hidden hallway, guns pointed at the ready.

Unable to attack such a large and heavily force, Harry watched helplessly as they tagged her, and reloaded her into the truck. Driving into the tunnel with the heavy escort walking beside it, the instrument panel sliding back up in place behind them.

'We can't storm this alone. We must warn the people.' Harry thought to Fawkes. 'Take us to Hometree.'

A shockwave rattled Harry's teeth as he landed on the edge of the village. Na'vi screamed as they raced towards him. Thick smoke billowed up from the base of Hometree. In slow motion Harry watched in horror as the tree started fall in his direction, its obliterated base no longer able to support the weight.

Sound ceases to exist as Harry looked away from the falling tree, the terror on the faces of the Omaticaya people to close to escape. With a wordless scream Harry thrusts both hands upwards at the tree above him, not even bothering to draw his wand.

The tree shuddered to a stop, raw magic pouring from his hands as he struggled to hold the massive tree up. Bleary seconds pass by as Harry strains to keep the tree aloft to buy the people time.

With a final yell Harry's body gives out. A last feeling of warmth envelopes him as the world fades to black.

~QM~

_Nine months previous._

_Harry's POV_

In a world were you were a single soul of 18 billion, life meant nothing. Even food had become an expensive luxury for the rich. With a population that large, there was no sustainable way to grow enough food for its population. Famine ran rampant. Wars were waged over farmland, over life. Earths destruction came as the forests burned, as the world fought its last wars. The world no longer able recover from such devastation. It was as we approached this doom, starvation due to population, made worse by war, when a young RDA saved the day.

For the poorest of poor, it was a pill. An entirely synthetic supplement that replaced food, and required minimal chemicals to produce. For the upper classes a fake food was created that looked, smelled, and almost tasted real. Synthetic down to the crumb, food for the expendable population. Even the rich were affected, meat became nonexistent, but they had the funds to clone such luxuries. It was part of the reason that going to Pandora was such a desirable thing. Many workers have never tasted real food in their entire lives, not even the fake stuff. On Pandora, a real food meal was served once a week, and fake food for the remainder. Despite it's hardships the trip to Pandora was an opportunity most of the world dreamed about.

The last wars for food had destroyed the remaining plant life on Earth. Urban growth to support the population had consumed most of the viable farmland. Even more land was fouled in the food wars, by the vengeful retreating forces of long extinct nations. The scarce land remaining held the last remnant of natural life. The last trees existed in a protected enclosure in Brazil, however, despite the best efforts of the staff the trees continued to wilt. A network of large carbon scrubbers kept the world breathable for now.

The wars burned the forests, cities consumed the farm land. It was a lonely grey-blue Earth I left.

The grey marble I left, was not the world I grew up in. I know I shouldn't dwell, but seeing the destruction first hand, living beyond my years. I can honestly say I am disgusted with our inherent capacity for destruction. Our world was wonderful, our world gave life, our world took care of us. We destroyed, we killed, we took, and eventually Earth had nothing left to give us.

If our ship traveling beyond the speed of light, crashed head on with an asteroid leaving no survivors, I doubt the people of Earth would care. It's only five hundred peasants, what does it matter?

I'm floating, certainly. Still in space? Yes, good. Has it been five years? The cryo-bunk isn't opening. Did I wake up too soon? I can't open my eyes. Damn!

They say that cryo is low risk. In reality, one in 10,000 never wakes up again. One in 30,000 lose all muscle memory, forced to learn every simple body function all over again. Everything from how to hold your bladder, to walking, and working. One in 50,000 get trapped in mind-bending hallucinations for the entirety of their time asleep. Unable to wake up, unable to escape. A journey that is supposed to feel instantaneous, becomes five years of slow torture. Reducing their victim to an uncoordinated shade of their former self, unable to survive for long even on life support. The RDA would have little time for cases such as this on a return trip. But on Pandora, they barely gave the effort to euthanize the unfortunate.

Understandably, I was quite concerned that I would be one of the unlucky ones. I didn't believe that I would die, fate had far to much fun with me to let me perish in such a simple and unexciting way. Although surviving this long to perish in a routine flight would be a tale of irony for the ages, if only someone knew. Having to learn how to do everything again would something of fate's style. One hundred fifty years of perfecting my casting technique and movements, gone in a blink of an eye. As shaky and uncoordinated as a new born babe. While I did fear these two complications, they still were more desirable than being trapped in my mind. I feared the what might come out of the darkness, the distant, but vivid memories of the wars I have fought in and the past I have fought to forget, clawing their way to the surface. Five years of reliving the deaths of my family, and friends.

Unfortunately, one of these complications did occur. Fortunately for me, not to me or anybody I care about. Such as my current bunk-mate.

"Come on." I somehow manage to mumble.

"Take that odds, I'm waking up!"

The air rushes to equalize as the automated system releases our cryo bunk. My eyes finally overpower the drugs but the ship's stark white interior Is blinding.

"Bu..Barney? Are you okay?" I hear a raspy voice from behind me.

I smile, my eyes still flickering open and closed. "I'm here Evaline, you alright?"

"Oh thank goodness. Barney I was stuck inside one of those living dreams, it was amazing! You were there, there was a beach, and oh, the things you were doing with your..." she began enthusiastically.

"Only you." I cut her off, rolling my eyes. I'm still squinting as my eyes adjust. Bunks are opening to my left, right, and above me in the multitiered room. I notice a couple of medical attendants floating towards us from the far end of the cryo chambers.

"You have been in cryo for five years, nine months and twenty two days. You will be hungry, you will be weak. If you feel nausea, please use the sacks provided for your convenience." The med tech shouts loudly as he floats over to our bunk. The tech goes around back helping Evaline first, if the giggling is anything to go by, she's shaking off the effects quickly.

" Alright miss, you can release yourself and head to medical through that door."

Eventually my own primary check is over with, and we grab our bags. I double check the trunk in my pant pockets sighing with relief when I feel its tiny form. We push off the lockers, and I'm floating hand and hand with the beautiful blonde...ahem, I mean with Evaline towards medical.

"Holy shit." Evaline swears beside me, her mouth agape. "Holy shit! Barney! Trees!"

The Cryo block is connected to the medical bay by a tunnel. Said tunnel has a massive bay window, which currently is featuring a spectacular view of my new home. Pandora. I am rendered speechless by its pure, undisturbed magnificence. Its clear atmosphere, blue oceans, and dense green organic canopy covering everything it seemed. The miniscule grey dot that I could barely pick out, was the only symptom of the RDA's infection spreading here. It wont get far if I can help it.

"Wow." I whisper dumbly, as Evaline excitedly pulls me in for a hug. Her violet blue eyes sparkling with unguarded excitement, dangerously close to my own.

I made it Fawkes, Pandora here I come.

It would have been nice if we just shuttled down to hells gate immediately once we woke up but in reality, we were on the interplanetary shuttle for almost a week. Our bodies have been in a sort of forced hibernation for more than five years. The following seven days are filled with lengthy physicals, surveillance, and mostly boredom. We are pumped full of water to flush the cryo toxins from our bodies, and fake food, the first chewable food for many aboard the ship. A schedule for the shuttles fondly nicknamed Valkyries are handed out. I am relieved to see Evaline and I are on the second Valkyrie to be launching to the surface.

We wouldn't find out until we had landed that Kevin, the other male Avatar driver was the one in 10,000 who never woke up from cryo.

~QM~

Miles Quaritch POV

Okay, I'm officially excited, as are all the other personnel in the Valkyrie that's scheduled to descend to the surface in 10 minutes. There are many faces pale with worry as they strap into their seats, nervous for the flight. This isn't just a lucrative job on a far away moon, but a chance to get back into the fight. On one side of the shuttle was 25 hardened soldiers, necessary to ensure the safety of Hells Gate. Another 150 would be shuttling down within the week to boost the numbers.

I'd been bored in my cozy job back on earth training recruits. It had been a long time since I was in a war zone, I'll admit I was excited to get back into the fray and test my mettle against this new alien life form. As were all these highly trained men and women with me, all of them ex-special forces. The best. My new job was lieutenant to Head of security for Pandora, with my eventual promotion in 5-10 years after the current head, Claude Davis' retirement.

On the other side of the cargo in space cases, I had an additional 24 civilian personnel, medical professionals, miners, and other riff-raff. As I was informed in briefing, there was a seat near the door available for me. It was my job to make sure these civilians put their exopacks and made it to the OP for a safety debrief quickly and without incident.

Pandora was not a safe place for humans. I had seen the pictures of the bodies, I had seen the footage of bizarre monsters that attacked Hells Gate. The RDA was constantly besieged by the wildlife and even the indigenous life form on this planet. Luckily, we had superior firepower, and superior training. Still hopefully only a few demonstrations will be necessary to keep the natives at bay, I'm sure I'll have enough to contend with thanks to the wildlife, let alone the indigenous.

As I approached my seat I got interrupted by a pair of science buffs trying to fit their luggage into the overhead netting, fixing the black haired man and the blonde next to him with my best intimidating glare, I tried to convey my annoyance. My glare had the expected response from the blonde, as she glanced down immediately uncomfortable. The black haired man returned my stare without flinching which was surprising, I liked him immediately.

"Colonel." He said respectfully, as I sat down next to him.

"There's no need for formalities doctor, that's for my subordinates. Call me Miles."

"Only if you call me Barney. This is Evaline." He responds, pointing to the blond beside him.

"What brings you to Pandora Barney." I ask curious.

"I'm an Avatar driver. Here to learn about the indigenous peoples."

"I've read some interesting things about the, Na'vi, is it. Our introductory brief said that they have naturally occurring Carbon-fibre bones, wouldn't have minded something like that during training.

"You have a good source of information, the carbon fiber grows in a weave throughout the bone giving the Na'vi insane strength. What about you Miles?" The kid asks.

"I'm second in command after the current head of Security, I will be taking over after his retirement probably after your cycle." I say not without a little bit of pride, its an exciting opportunity.

"Nice, here for a long time then. Any idea what in store for us when we land?"

"Bit of a run, safety debrief, rules, and a whole bunch of tours. Boring stuff really. Although I think I remember something in the briefing about a real food feast for everyone tonight."

"That sounds perfect."

~QM~

Pandora

Day 1

Location: Hells Gate

As the Valkyrie's rear door slowly lowered Harry got his first view Pandora, carefully wrapped in RDA concrete and electric fences. In the distance, beyond the defenses was life. Trees as tall as the ones that used to dominate the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts lay beyond the fence, just without the dark ominous shadows. The lush growth was so dense Harry could hardly see more than a metre into the forest. Harry could only see two buildings from the his seat, one looked to be some type of refiner, smoke billowing out of its stacks.

"Unobtainium processing." Harry growled under his breath, his comment lost in the noise of the Valkyrie's engines as they powered down. The unobtainium was processed directly on Pandora. It allowed for the RDA to ship the finished product, which was worth more per pound than raw unobtainium.

The ramp fully lowered to the tarmac, Harry's new friend Miles shouting harshly was enough to break Harry out of his trance.

"Go Go GO!" The Miles yelled. Harry cringed slightly as he was closest to commander. Harry took off at a fast jog, his bag bouncing uncomfortably as he was directed to what he assumed was the Operations center, where they would receive a debrief and transport to their quarters by the tunnels on base. Soldiers lined the path to the Operations center, to keep them from straying off course. His exo pack mask itched as he began to sweat in the humid air of Pandora.

"Its so beautiful Barney, oh I wish..." Harry could hear Evaline's mumbled words from behind him as they jogged.

Harry, however, was not paying any attention, he was too busy trying to absorb his surroundings. He had heavily researched the camp but it was another thing to see it in person. The camp had a pentagonal shape occupying an area of 3.6 square miles. The Electric fence was protected by heavy weapon emplacements mounted on towers at each of the five points. Four smaller towers were spaced equally in-between the heavy towers, creating an overlapping field of fire to defend against the air and land-borne threats of Pandora. The guns were massive, providing undisputed security against the unorganized attacks of the native Pandorans. AMP suit drivers were patrolling the interior perimeter of the fence, armored giants providing even more additional security. They were a new addition after the first colonists were nearly overrun by the wildlife, unable to adequately defend themselves with their small calibre weapons.

The large runway seemed to take up more than a third of the space, runway personal and vehicles with numerous helicopters readying to go dotted the tarmac. A similar area is occupied by vehicle storage, the armor vault and light industrial plant mainly used for fabricating parts for mining equipment and ammunition for base defense. The OPS center dominated the center of the camp, with a huge tower like command post with 360 degree visibility of the surrounding landscape. Scattered around it were smaller buildings like SecOps barracks, habitation module and the Avatar Complex.

An air raid siren wailed out across camp just as Harry was half way to the door, the group paused dead stop looking up. Despite his age, Harry's eyes found the form of the banshee directly above him, diving straight down towards the tarmac rapidly. Two hundred feet from the ground the camps deafening heavy guns started up. Tracer rounds in tight lines screamed from the heavy towers upwards to intercept the banshee, while the soldiers on the ground raised their own weapons and added to the wall of munitions. The banshee disappeared in a cloud of red mist as the bullets ripped through it, chunks of mangled flesh flew off in all directions.

Harry started moving before the big guns had ceased firing. Harry turned around, and took three rushed steps before he threw himself at Evaline, his body rolling underneath in the air to absorb their fall. Using their momentum as he landed on his back hard, Harry rolled her over onto her back and placed a hand on each side of her head, holding his body above her as a human shield. Harry closed his eyes, as a wet thud resonated from where Evaline had stood mere seconds ago as the banshee corpse impacted the runway. Wet blood soaked the back of Harry's clothes, small miscellaneous pieces of banshee flesh landed around him. Pain shot through Harry's body as a few pieces impact his back, and legs. The air rushes from his lungs as something sharp pierces his upper back. A wail escapes someone off to Harry's right ten or so feet away.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, his ears ringing from the big guns. Evaline's eyes were still scrunched tight, her balled up fists clenching the front of shirt on his chest. The loud retort of a handgun cracked from mere feet behind Harry, his eyes slamming shut automatically as the sound startled him.

"All clear!" A soldier shouts from direction of the handgun.

"Medic!" Someone screams, unleashing confusion.

"Fuck! Duke is down." Another screams out, Amp suits sprinting to the area from across the tarmac, thundering with their heavy metal feet as they race towards the beast.

"Hell's Gate! Hell's Gate, we have men on the ground. I repeat..."

Chancing a glance to his right, Harry opened his eyes to see the wounded soldier. The soldier was half slouched on his knees limply, his arms loose at his side with his gun beside him. His head limply hung backwards. The bone that had been splintered by the guns had separated from the wing and speared him through the chest just below the breast bone, holding him slightly upright. A soldier looked on helpless as a medic rushed up opening his kit to evaluate his friend. Harry looked down, trying to swallow the bile rising in his throat. The man was dead, Harry had been in enough wars to know it the man was beyond saving, no matter how hard his friends tried.

"You okay Evaline?" Harry managed to rasp out, laboring to get a breath. Not wanting to look up again, afraid of the familiar desperation in the medic's eyes.

"Yes...Barney are you..."

"Biofoam! Shock in three..." The medic's shouts drown out Evaline. There was the sound of boots making wet soppy sounds in the growing pool of blood, before a slapping sound as knees appeared beside him.

"Possible wounded! A lot of blood, can't tell who's! Medic!" The person shouted above them, placing a hand on his arm. "I see puncture wounds to the back and legs. Can you hear me?"

"Clear!"

"Yes." Harry rasped again.

"Good. Just stay put, try to stay still doc is on his way. Can you hear me miss?

"Second shock!"

"Yes." Evaline said shakily, finally opening her eyes.

"Clear!"

Giving him a pat on the arm, the soldier stood. "Everyone able to move, get into the base NOW! Move! Move! Move!" A stampede of feet thunders past, in full sprint to the OPS center.

"Clear!"

"Doc"

"Fuck he's gone!"

"Doc!" The soldier yells again, leaning back down.

New squishy foot steps sprint over, splashing his arm with more blood as the doc drops down beside him. Two bloody fingers press to Harry's neck, as the doc simultaneously checks Evaline, which impresses Harry greatly. The medic is obviously a hardened vet.

"Lady stable, priority male. Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Can you breathe?"

"Yes...it bloody hurts tho." Fingers probe around the base of the of one of the objects stuck in his back. Harry can feel warm blood around its base as the docs gently feels.

"You have to stay still. Multiple punctures. No punctures near the spine, one in right thigh. Evac priority! Alpha I need stretchers! Prepare to move! Can you move your toes?" The medic informs Harry already cutting the shirt down the center.

"Yes!" Harry bites out as the pain increases, adrenalin leaving his system.

"Good. Your fingers?" Doc asks cutting irregular pieces of cloth, from the main patch of the back. Harry assumes each piece left is around the punctures. Three pieces Harry counts so far.

"Yes."

"Ba..Barney?" Evaline chokes out from below her hand trembling.

"Quiet!" The doc shouts at her harshly. "No pain in your neck?

"None."

Docs fingers probe Harry's neck. "Ready to move. Your going to be all right son, your going to have to wait until I get you in for any pain killers, only a couple more minutes."

"Evaline?" Harry tries to call, barely able to get any air behind his words

'Stretchers sir." A soldier announces rolling out a stretcher next to Harry and Evaline, before six pairs of hands position themselves on Harry's body.

"Careful on the lift. Son put your arms straight forward off the end, its going to hurt like a bitch. On three. One. Two. Three."

Harry hisses with pain as he is lifted off Evaline, his shirt staying behind in her still clasped hands. Their eyes meet as he is lifted to the stretcher, Harry trying not to shout out in pain as his muscles spasm. "Evaline!" He manages to get out through clenched teeth as two marines lift him up on the stretcher to a truck he had failed to notice arrive.

"Barney!" Evaline replies, tears now flowing freely as the doc and two other soldiers hold her down as she tries to get up.

"Don't worry, she'll be right behind you. I'm bringing her in right after you. Second truck's eta is one minute." A second medic tells Harry as they strap him to the truck. Jumping off the truck he taps doc on the shoulder, taking his place with a struggling Evaline to take care of her.

Harry can vaguely hear the doc shouting something, as the truck accelerates. The last thing he sees is a soldier putting a blanket over their fallen comrade.

"mhhmm what?" Harry manages to mumble as the world begins to blur, claiming him to blackness.

~QM~

Pandora

Day:Unknown

Location: Hell's Gate

Harry was something of an expert when it came to waking up in hospital rooms. The room was as usual painfully bright. The nurse forces nasty pill or potion down your throat. Doctor rushes in tells you you've been out for couple days, a week, and once even a year. It was, though, the first time Harry woke up laying on his stomach, and more importantly it had also been a long time since Harry had woken up with someone holding his hand. Soft blond hair was fanned out on the bed by his hand. The woman in question had slumped forward in her chair onto his bed by his hand which rested by her face.

"Evaline," Harry tries squeezing her hand, immensely relieved she is alright. "Evaline, wake up."

"mmhm" She mumbles, pulling Harry hand up to her lips.

Blushing Harry tries again, "Evaline, Honey, wake up"

"Barney, five more minutes." She incoherently mumbles again.

"Eval..."

"Barney!" Evaline's head snaps up awake, they stare at each other briefly. Tears pooling in the corners of her eyes as she makes eye contact with him.

"Oh Barney." She babbles quietly leaning her forehead against his on the pillow, sliding her free arm under his pillow, tears freely leaking down her face.

"Sshhh" Harry tries, freeing his left hand up to stroke her hair his hand cupping her face. " I'm alrigh..."

Evaline cut him off her voice trembling as she cries, moving her free hand to hold his shoulder. Careful to avoid touching his back. " I thought I had lost you. There was so much blood, and you had a claw and bones shards sticking out of your back. You saved my life."

"I..."

"And you...you almost got yourself killed." Evaline manages to get out closing her eyes.

"Hey, hey Evaline I'm alright." Harry tries thumbing away some of the tears.

"You can't die Barney." She presses closer in, her wet nose now touching his. "Your my everything. After what happened to mom and dad, your the only thing I have."

The words pierce Harry to the core, and somewhere deep inside his ancient heart he feels a warmth again. Something he had once known and lost, something he had chosen to forget. A feeling, what he had always felt for her, lied to himself about, hidden, and walled away behind insecurities of his age. Pushed her away time, and time again. Unable to understand he was finally not alone anymore, that she was his.

"You too." Harry says simply, so close now he could feel her breath on his lips.

She opens her eyes, her violet blue eyes still glistening with tears look into his own. There is more truth to the phrase that 'the eyes don't lie' than many will ever understand.

Harry is not sure if it was entirely Evaline who closed the final distance as he closed his eyes. Her soft lips catching his own in gentle kiss. No words are needed, there would be time later. The hardest part would be finding a way to explain what he was and more importantly how long he had been so. In this moment, he couldn't help but feel it would all be okay.

A soft voice clearing there throat at the end of their bed ends the moment, Evaline slowly pulls away from the lingering kiss, but does not untangle herself from him. Harry smiles crookedly at her blushing face as they share a smile, pleased that neither had sprang away from the other like kids caught doing something they shouldn't be.

Relationships were frowned upon by the RDA but they weren't forbidden. They would happen regardless of how much they tried to stop them, and sending people home for bad behavior wasn't really an option this far into space.

" Dr. Stinson." A female doctor walked around to the side of the bed into his field of vision. Evaline released him sitting up in her chair, still holding his hand. The doctor had startling blue hair and was holding a holding a glass monitor. Harry could see his vitals in reverse on the glass. "My name is Dr. Rose Carlson, I am very relieved to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"A little stiff, but over all not too bad considering." Harry said evaluating his body for the first time.

"Good you remember. Any numbness in your toes?"

"Nope, nice and warm." Harry responds wiggling his toes under the covers.

"Excellent, you gave us quite a scare. You have been out for 5 days." Harry appreciates Rose's bluntness, doctors tend to skirt around things, thankfully less so with other doctors.

Harry sighs, "How bad?'

"They came close to loosing you on the way in. You had lost so much blood by the time, they had gotten you to me, I still have no idea how you pulled through it. You were in surgery for 22hrs. Three puncture wounds on your back, and one the thigh dangerously close to your femoral artery, how it managed to not cut it is still beyond me. The large claw from the banshee's wing was the worst, it had punctured a lung, and it collapsed sometime after they had gotten you on the truck. The others were pieces of splintered carbon fiber reenforced bone, they were easier to remove, and had missed the important stuff. A couple broken and cracked ribs. Overall, exceptionally lucky considering a one ton corpse nearly landed on the two of you."

"I can't thank you enough." Harry said after a sigh, meeting the concerned eyes of Evaline. "How long will I be stuck here?"

Rose bites her lip, seeming to be struggling to find words. "Normally I would say another two weeks, but...I have never seen anyone heal like you do."

Mixed emotions flit across Harry's face. As a kid his fast healing had saved his life many times. Harry's gene was waking up.

Rose tries again, mistaking the look on Harry's face for confusion. " Your wounds, they...look like wounds that are already several weeks old. Far ahead of what they should look like at this point, I've never seen anything like it. Even the bones are beginning to knit together already."

"I've always been a fast healer." Harry tries to laugh it off weekly. This was not the kind of attention he wanted to draw to himself, or his magic. Even Evaline is giving him an odd look. " So maybe discharged today?"

"Maybe. We'll see how you do sitting up, but as long as that doesn't cause you too much pain I don't see any reason you couldn't stay in your own room. You would have to check in with me first thing in the morning and before night though. I still need to check your stitches and change your dressings on your back twice a day." Rose says, flipping through different readings and x-rays on her monitor concentrating.

"I could change them." Evaline offers, blushing furiously immediately after she offers. Harry squeezes her hand smiling.

Rose gives her a long look. "That could work, you are both doctors after all. You must come in immediately if you feel any sharp pains, and I expect to see you every three days regardless."

"Thank you Dr. Carlson, we will." Evaline answers, Harry still distracted gazing at their joined hands.

It takes a bit of time but eventually they get Harry sitting upright without too much effort. They decide on a wheel chair for a week to keep him off his leg, crutches being to much movement for his back. Thankfully Evaline had brought him a new set of clothes from his bag so he could change out of the hospital gown. After may promises to not over exert himself, and that he wouldn't spend to much time in a link until the stitches were out, Harry found himself being pushed towards the exit by Evaline, Dr. Carlson walking by their side. A big bag of medical supplies hanging from the back, and a box containing the bone shards and the long black claw of the Banshee that had almost killed him. They were almost at the door when Harry held up a hand to stop Evaline.

"Dr. Carlson, what happened to the clothing I was wearing?" Harry asked, fear quickly working its way into his stomach, as he clawed through the box on his lap.

"I sorry Barney, we couldn't save it. I had to cut it off. It was so drenched in blood, we just tossed it in the garbage. Its probably been incinerated by now, like all hospital waste. I couldn't find anything in your pockets. I put your family ring in the box." Rose looked on confused, worried she had messed up.

Harry wasn't listening anymore, his horror blatant on his face. His trunk had been in his trouser pocket.

~QM~

Harry was quiet all the way to the avatar complex where their living quarters were, content to let Evaline wheel him towards his room. Evaline had noticed but hadn't pressed to much on the subject, he had explained his shock off by saying by saying he had lost the only trinket he had left of his family. The hallways had a very clinical feel to them, bare pipes and electrical conduits lined the walls, and there was no windows. Packed with people as researchers sped one way or another. It wasn't long before Evaline and Harry had reached his room. Snatching his key card from around his neck, she opened the door and wheeled him in. Pulling the medical bag off the back of the chair she threw it on the bed and taking the box with his stuff, she placed it on his desk. The room was small, maybe ten square metres with a bed, wardrobe, and a desk in the corner.

"Alright! No more moping, whats gone is gone." Evaline proclaimed, pulling him out of his room back into the hall. "I know what will cheer you up. Lets go towards the link room!"

"I guess that could cheer me up." Harry said, finding truth in her words.

Turning his chair to face the opposite door, she crouched down and took out her own key-card. "Oh the link room is not what will cheer you up." She says softly leaning in closer to the face. "I meant our rooms are opposite to each other."

With a a huge grin she gives Harry a peck on the lips as he sits bemused.

When they had started moving again they hadn't made it more than ten steps before they were intercepted by the head of their department Grace Augustine.

She wears a smirk and an unlit cigarette as she stops and looks down at Harry. Leaning forward she pokes him in the chest lightly."You are the luckiest son of a bitch I know. The lost child of Pandora! I hope you first experience hasn't put you off Pandoran wildlife."

"An honor to meet you Dr. Augustine ." Harry replies nodding towards her.

"I got the news this morning that you had woken up. A good thing too, Evaline here was driving me crazy. Refused to leave the hospital except to sleep until you woke." Grace grins at Evaline making her blush, standing back up. " Two new people in my department who I haven't even had a proper conversation with and yet one is out of action and the other comatose before they get in the door. I think you'll fit in quite well here."

"Well I hate to disappoint, got to make an entrance." Harry says cheekily, giving her a smirk.

"Best not try again, or I'll bury my boot so far up your ass that you'll be able to taste boot polish." With a sweet smile she spins around, leaving the pair gaping. "Well, come on, don't block the hallway all day. I'd like to get you into your bodies today, make sure they are working fine. I had them start prepping them when I heard you woke up. Unfortunately we need to have a talk first, I have some bad news for you guys that I need to get you up to speed on."

Picking up the pace, the trio make it to the link room about two minutes later. The room is massive with about a dozen psionic link units, looking disturbingly like coffins circling a cluster of control computers in the center of the room. The one side of the room has a big window, down into a medical room, where two Na'vi bodies, his and Evaline's are being prepped.

"Barney, stop straining to see out that window. If you re-injure yourself I'm going to have you chained to that chair." Grace called over to him, leaning out of a side room. " If you would step into the board room I would like to get this over with.

"Isn't she warm and fuzzy." Evaline mutters under her breath, as she pushes Harry into the room. Removing a chair at the end of the table so she can roll his chair up to the big table. Taking the seat next to his, she gives one of his hands a squeeze under the table.

"We have a lot to get through. Most of it not good either." Grace says seriously, dropping in a seat on the other side of Harry.

"First off I would like to thank you Barney for saving Evaline. I heard the story, you have an exceptionally quick thinking mind. I had feared the worse when I heard of you injuries, I didn't sleep at all for the whole of your surgery. You two, Barney and Evaline, are my last two avatar drivers from your class." Grace said softly, running a tired hand over her face.

"What?!" Evaline blurted, unable to help herself. " What happened to Kevin and Julia?"

"Kevin we've know about for a while, about six months into the flight his neurological sensor went dead. Zero brain activity, he never woke up from cryo. Two years later Julia's Na'vi body died in incubation. An unexpected mutation, apparently her Na'vi gene wasn't as good a match as we hoped. It happens, but couldn't be at a worse time. She is still on the ISV, it was seen as an unnecessary risk to shuttle her down. For good reason, yours wasn't the first banshee to follow a Valkyrie back to camp, it happens more often than you'd think. They are both hard loses, emotionally and financially for the department. Especially now that with how relations deteriorating with the Na'vi."

Harry glances at Evaline who is staring at her hands. He knows this is hitting her hard, the dangers they went through during training seemed like such an unlikely event. It could have easily been one of them who didn't wake up in cryo. Giving her shoulder a squeeze as she sniffs Harry tries to moves the conversation along. "What happening with Na'vi."

"Corporate greed!" Grace explodes standing, pacing back and forth. "The RDA under the influence of our fearless leader are making a push to expand output, pushing the mine farther out into the wild. These pushes require roads, new dig sites, and he seems to be hitting every freaking sacred area the Omaticaya clan care about. And to make things worse, the armed monkeys providing security, have shot a couple Na'vi who were trying to explain to them why couldn't dig there. The last months has been full of small skirmishes, our loses have almost been as bad as theirs. Tensions are mounting and if we don't get a fucking grip on this soon, the RDA will destroy them."

"There's been shootings? Why haven't we heard anything of this?" Evaline demanded.

"Things only started down hill shortly after you left Earth. We have been transformed from researchers able to explore Pandora without exopacks into ambassadors trying to keep the peace with the Na'vi, when the RDA refuses to compromise on anything. Parker is hoping that because we look like them we will be able to calm them down. We've gotten a massive boost in funding in hopes we can turn things around. To make things worse Na'vi are disappearing around Pandora outside of the skirmishes, no bodies have been found in these cases. It's only increasing their distrust for us. The only silver lining is that the Omaticaya haven't forced me to close the school in their village yet."

"You will both get a chance to teach at the school. We have been teaching them English and how to read. The Omaticaya village is amazing, they live inside of this giant, and I mean giant tree. It is one thing to read about their culture, but to be truly surrounded by it is something magical. I fear if things don't change soon, that we may very well be banished from the village." Grace said collapsing into her chair, out of steam.

Harry could help smile, she seemed to have a mouth like a pirate. "Bloody hell, its too bad Kevin and Julia couldn't be here with us. It sure seems like we could use more Na'vi hands."

Grace's bittersweet smile surprises him, "On that note I have some news. The RDA granted us emergency cargo space on the ship after yours after we had learned that we had lost Kevin and Julia. Not all of the 2150s were ready, but two more will be arriving on the next ship, along with more mobile link platforms."

"That's great news! Who's the luckily two? Tom? Or Samantha?" Evaline said excitedly, seeming to have gotten her mind around Kevin's end.

The frown which smothered her smile was unexpected. "Tom Sulley and Norm Spellman were the two chosen to come to Pandora. Tom's Avatar will becoming to Pandora, Tom will not."

"Why would they send Tom's Avatar without him?" Evaline asked confused.

Harry closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face, there was only one explanation. Harry had gotten on well with Tom during training. "Tom has a brother, Jake. An identical twin, he didn't talk about him to many people at training because they haven't spoken to each other in years. If Tom is dead, Jake will be running Tom's Avatar." Harry deadpanned his eyes still closed.

"Yes." Grace spat bitterly. " A mugger with a gun got him a few days before launch. Jake is an ex-marine, and another monkey with a gun."

"Jake was paralyzed in the last food war." Harry adds looking Grace in the eye. "I don't think he's a danger to us."

Grace was silent for a long time. Her stare boring into the two of them in turns, the silence in the board room was painful. "No. I don't believe he will be, but we must be careful. We cannot afford to loose another Avatar."

Standing Grace went over to the door, and Evaline grasped Harry's chair, pulling it out from the table. "Enough of this conversation, lets have some fun. It time to wake up your new alter egos."

~QM~

Pandora

Location: Avatar Compound

Day 8

Harry was standing in the midst of a garden. The air smelled fresh, the soil was soft beneath his feet, and an audible hum of the electric fences was still detectable in the air. In one of the far corners, the RDA had allocated some space, with plants, and foods more compatible for these bodies. The idea was familiarization with their new avatars, training for untamed Pandora, and keep the avatars in their natural environment, since they began to waste away inside any facility. So when it's time go out into the wilds of Pandora they are ready, and don't make stupid mistakes. Smart really, considering just how expensive avatars were.

Right now, Harry was trying to call Fawkes along their connection. Magical radiation was thick in the air, he could feel the energy tingling in his new bones. With his avatar sleeping outside exposed this amount of magical radiation, his avatar's gene was becoming active. Harry still wasn't strong enough to call Fawkes through their bond, but that was only an amount of time. The radiation was minimal inside the complex, the RDA scrubbers doing their job exceptionally well. What Harry hadn't expected was a sort of umbilical cord effect between him and his avatar body. His avatar body' exposure was fueling his real body's gene, his healing speeds already accelerating, and Harry could now cast a weak lumos wandlessly.

Harry's initial plans of deserting camp soon as he got to Pandora and became active had been derailed quite dramatically. The loss of the trunk was a crippling, he had no supplies, no weapons, or anything he had prepared in advance. He didn't dare consider leaving base with only his wandless magic, which Harry was pained to admit didn't include a vast variety of spells. Until he could make a wand he was defenseless to Pandora's wildlife. Another problem is Harry had no ingredients for a soul swapping potion anymore either, and there was no way he was leaving into the wild stuck in his human body. Stealing a link unit wasn't an option, it was a poor temporary fix.

Turning, Harry walked over to Evaline, who was trying out different Na'vi foods a few steps away. "I think I'm going to call it a day."

"Alright," Evaline flashed him a blue grin, her bio-luminescent dots brightening. " I have to stay for a couple hours yet, Grace said it my turn to run the training course. Will you be alright?"

"I should be fine, just don't break my record." Harry says in parting ruffling her hair.

Parking his avatar in a bed under a bug net, Harry unlinks. The link hums as the lid opens, Max is waiting for him with a grin. "Welcome back Barney."

"Hey Max, Cruella is keeping Evaline for a bit longer yet." Stepping out of the link, his leg hardly bothering him as he does so. " Figured I'd take this opportunity to grab a beer, want to join?"

"Wish I could Barney, but Grace's overtime means my overtime. I have to keep an eye on their screens. Next Time." Max says with a sigh, stepping back into the control center.

"I'll hold you too it." Harry shouts as he exits.

The Hallway to the rec bar is packed, the facility being shared by all departments. Its well after supper already, one tended to lose track of time in the link. Harry could walk again, something he is grateful for, a wheel chair drew a lot of attention on in Hell's Gate.

Just before the bar, Harry noticed the flashing sign for the holo-booths. He sighed, he had been putting this off long enough. Harry knew what was waiting in the mail for him but it wasn't going to make seeing it any easier. Harry stepped into a vacant booth closed the curtain, scanned his card, and submitted to the retinal scan.

"Welcome ." A disembodied voice sounds throughout the cubicle. A large interface screen flickering to life in front of him. "You have eleven new holo-mail messages."

Three were just random garbage, his first paycheck notice, Hell's Gate monthly news, and a Hell's gate virtual tour. The other eight, however, were the last messages of a friend who has departed on the next great adventure. With trembling fingers Harry selects the first message from Tom.

The interface whirrs to life, toms face popping up on the screen. He appears to be in the Avatar classroom on earth. " Hey Barney! Can't believe you four have left already, you lucky bastard..."

Towards the end of the second one Harry is not really hearing the words anymore. He's lost in his thoughts from home, memories of a good friend who he would never see again. It seemed so hard to believe that Tom was gone, his laughing carefree attitude, his constant badgering, convinced that he would shack up with Evaline on Pandora. Harry was sure he was having a good laugh right now at the baby steps had taken with Evaline. It didn't seem to matter how many people he lost be it to wars, sickness, or old age. Each death still made Harry feel numb, each death still hurt.

The video grabs his attention as it switches to the second last one Tom ever sent. "Barney man you wouldn't believe it but I'm coming to Pandora early! Things have been going to hell, news hasn't said much but the whole next interplanetary ship's cargo has been changed. I have also renovated the house, made some big changes."

Harry smiled, this was the first line of a code he and Tom made before he left. The RDA screened all mail both ways, they couldn't afford to have a press leak. The house was the RDA. "I've expanded my closet, its almost twice as large as before. Its going to have to be for all the suits, hats, and ties I'm bringing in. I'll be hard pressed to dig up some food for the next six months or so as I try to save my budget. Looks like no fake food for me, everything will be a pill for a while."

Each Interplanetary shuttle had four main cargo containers for transporting goods. Suits were armor, hats were air support, ties were soldiers. According to Tom, half the shuttle was going to be essentially dedicated to weapons. 'Sounds like the RDA is building an Army.' Harry thinks to himself. 'Their expecting a war soon.'

Signing out, Harry left the room, his mind less at ease than when he went in holo-booth. His mind is still on autopilot as he steps up to the bar, ordering some sort of an artificial beer. "What I wouldn't give for some whiskey." Harry muttered.

"Whiskey? Where in the world were you lucky enough to taste some whiskey." A man to Harry's left asked, a miner by the look of his clothing.

"At a funeral," Harry half lied. "Man had a couple of bottles from the old day when he was a kid. Shared a small shot with everyone who showed up. Whats your name?"

"Ah, that is some luck." The miner moaned, caressing two different beers in front of him. "Names Karl Matthews. You?"

"Barney Stinson. So what do you do at the mine?"

"I drive one of the big trucks."

"No way, how many ton unobtainium you haul in this lower gravity a trip?"

" I...um...I'm not sure, I don't remember." The stuttered looking around uncomfortably.

" You don't have to log each load?" Harry asked confused, most truckers knew this kind of thing by heart.

"Yeah er, I think it was 50 ton." The guy says looking around spotting someone at the back. " I gotta go, see some friends at the back."

Without another word the guy was off, leaving a very confused Harry at the bar. The big ore trucks hauled about 6 times that much. Shaking his head Harry finished his beer, trying to flag down the bar keep for another.

"I got your next one." A new guy said to his left, dressed in military uniform. His hair was grey and well trimmed. "Hey Dennis! Can I get us two frothies?"

"Really, I should be getting you a beer." Harry said recognizing the voice immediately. "You saved my life."

"Nonsense, you were only in trouble cause you saved someone else. Besides I drink for free. Been here five years now, only 5 and a half months to go." Taking a seat a he pushed one of the new beers in front of Harry. " The names Richard Cains, my friends call me Doc."

"Barney Stinson. You must be getting excited to go home." Harry said as he cheers his beer with Richard.

"Yes. It will be good to see my wife again. After this I can retire, no more blood, no more death." Richard seems to lose himself for a moment, his eyes growing distant. After a moment he turns back towards Harry with a huge smile on his face. " How in the hell are you out of the hospital all ready?

" Just a fast healer."

" I'll say, you should have been there for a month. That banshee claw had penetrated pretty much the entire way through. Good as dead when I brought you in."

"I was lucky being so close to the hospital when it happened" Harry Agreed.

"Saved that girls life, bloody thing nearly landed on her. Takes a hell of a man not to freeze up when shit goes south."

Harry shifted uncomfortably under his praise. "You learn quick the first time your inaction costs you someone."

"Nothing can help that, we can only prepare for next time. Beating yourself up won't change a damn thing. Get better, be faster, do better and...and hopefully you don't have to bury too many friends."

"Amen." Harry finishes, raising his beer to clink with Richards. "I hope your last months are quiet ones."

"Yes, me too. That girl you saved seemed awful sweet on you." Richard comments waggling his eyebrows.

" Yeah," Harry says blushing. "She's something else, went up against Grace Augustine to stay at my bedside."

Richard's eyebrows shot up. "She went up against mad dog Aug?"

Harry laughs, taking a sip. "Yeah, and won too. She was there when I woke up."

"Sounds like a keeper. Best of luck, try not to fall under anymore banshees."

"I'll have to, now I know you wont be around to patch me up for much longer."

Richard smiles finishing his beer, checking his watch. "Sorry Barney but I must be off, I have a late shift supervising a bulldozer. I'll see you around, next time bring your lady."

"Sure thing, Doc," Harry says standing to shake his hand, finishing his beer.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Richard, says already a couple steps away, fishing in a pocket on his leg. "I pulled this from your pants when I cut them off. Figured it was a good luck totem or something, most of us got them."

Pressing something into Harry's hand Doc gives him a pat on the shoulder and disappears into the crowd.

"Good luck indeed." Harry mutters, bringing the tiny trunk to his lips in disbelief.

~QM~

Miles Quaritch POV

I know where I am when I wake up. I know what put me in the fucking hospital. Three tours in Nigeria, not a scratch. Day one on Pandora, I almost get fucking eaten by a Banshee, or aka big fucking bird. I had let my guard down, I thought this place had some beauty. Now I see if for what it truly is. A festering shit hole, where every fucking thing is going trying to kill you. Well, they won't be getting the best of Miles Quaritch. Next time I will shoot first and ask later. After all, its not like anyone will care if I kill off some of the wildlife, there's plenty here.

"Nurse!" I bellow, I'm not in the mood for niceties.

"Oh than goodness your awake, I'll just go get the Doct..."

"Shut the fuck up and get me a mirror." I enjoy the lack of restraint.

"Maybe we should talk to the do..."

"I said get me a mirror!" I bark, my military voice does the trick. Before long she's rushing back with a hand mirror trembling slightly.

"Now don't worry about the scars, we can rotate you home and they have things to fix..." The nurse attempts soothingly.

"No, that won't be necessary." I say as I stare at the three large, angry red scars running n the side of my head. No, I like them, very intimidating.

~QM~

AN: Well, thats two. So full story now coming your way. Again, I would like to thank Atharos for their Hard work.

AmeliaPond1997: Sorry but this will not be a slash, Tsu'tey is still going to die.

Sousie: Harry's human body will not be able to breathe on pandora without an exo. Not because of the radiation, but because Pandora has a a high level of chlorine gas in its air.

JellyBeanPanda: I'm not sure yet. I still haven't decided if Evaline will meet her death on Pandora, I'm on the fence. I do know if I do pair Harry it will be a female, and the Na'vi possibility is definitely on mind.

Guest: No I am not a physician. The reason I keep telling everyone to eat honey is because I'm a bee keeper. Call it free marketing.

German Guest: You raise some good points. Sorry, but Tsu'tey is still going to die and this won't be a slash. Not against it, just not my thing to write. You do raise a good point about Evaline seeming childish in the first chapter, I was more going to innocent. She very well may end up dead, or Harry pushing her away yet. Haven't decided.

Organic intelligence: huh...guess it is, I've never played it. More of a bioshock guy.

~QM~


End file.
